ERP wins at Chambers Ireland CSR Awards 2019

ERP Ireland is delighted to announce it has won the 'Excellence in CSR Communication' for its 'Batteries for Barretstown' campaign at the Chambers Ireland CSR Awards 2019.

ERP and Barretstown partnered together to create the programme ‘Batteries for Barretstown’ to educate Ireland on the importance of battery recycling and increase the number of batteries recycled through our collection points while raising much-needed funds for Barretstown.

The campaign has reached over 2.5 million people to date through social media interactions, attendance at the National Ploughing Championship, Bloom in the Park, and through print and radio interviews. ERP’s Green Christmas videos shot onsite at Barretstown had a combined total of 228,000 views.

The EU Batteries Directive requires Member States to achieve a collection rate of 45% each year to 2020. In 2018, we reported a collection rate of 68%. A 151% increase on target. As well as this, there has been a 45% increase in both driver collections and collection requests.

Martin Tobin, CEO ERP Ireland said “Batteries for Barretstown was created to educate Ireland on the importance of battery recycling, increase the number of batteries recycled and raise vital funds for the children’s charity. The campaign has captured the hearts and minds of local communities. Our operational teams cannot stock enough boxes. To date, the campaign has reached over 2.5 million people - this is a phenomenal achievement for all involved and one we are very proud of here at ERP.”

When batteries are disposed incorrectly their corrosive materials can be harmful to the environment, and the valuable materials inside are lost forever. Most types of batteries contain toxic heavy metals such as nickel and mercury, and these materials can be reused if disposed of properly. With these business challenges in mind, ERP decided to launch a creative and innovative campaign to raise awareness of the ease by which batteries can be recycled – in any retail stores selling batteries, at a local recycling centre or at one of ERP’s free recycling events held across the country.

Yvonne Holmes, Head of Communications at ERP Ireland said: “Winning the award for Excellence in CSR Communication is a great honour. Communication is vitally important in increasing awareness around battery recycling and spreading the CSR message effectively to all our key stakeholders. I would like to thank Dee Ahearn and all the team @Barretstown for all their support.” // ENDS